Folding plant-protector



(No Model.)

W. K. HAWKS.

FOLDING PLANT PROTE-GTOR.

No. 415,638. Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

' Qw'vbmaoaeo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM KENYON HAWVKS, OF HOOSIOK, NElV YORK.

FOLDING PLANT-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,638, dated November 19, 1889.

Application filed April 11, 1889. Serial No. 306,879. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM KENYON HAWKS, a resident of Hoosick, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Plant-Protectors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to improvements in plant-protectors of the class in which a foldin g frame supports a tent-like structure adapted to shield the plant from sun, insects, or other injurious agencies. Itis fully described and claimed in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 shows the apparatus in perspective, a small portion of the covering for the frame being broken away. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the frame without the covering.

In the drawings, A A are two rectangular frames formed from heavy wire,with the parts of each approximately in the same plane. Each frame is formed from a single piece of wire, and is formed with spurs B to thrust into the earth in fixing the frame in position over the plant to be protected. The sides of the frames opposite to the spurs are hinged together to form the upper edge or ridge of the frame, and over the whole is fitted a planefaced tent 0, whose ends are of an inverted- V shape, and whose lower edges are in or slightly below the plane of the lower sides of the rectangular frames, and are secured to the spurs at the corners of the tent by any suit-able means, so as to be either permanent or detachable. With this construction, evidently the two frames hinged together at the top may be spread at the bottom to a width depending upon the width at the bottom of the V-shaped end of the tent, and may be folded together, bringing all parts of both frames into nearly the same plane-a very convenient form for storage, handling, and shipping. The upper side of the frame A is a straight rod, to which the lateral rods are at right angles. These are carried downward to a suitable distance, returned upon themselves to distance desired for the length of the spurs when each is wound about the main rod, and carried inward to meet the other, forming the lower side of the frame. The meeting ends are secured by a sleeve D, that may be galvanized in place or held by opposite screw-threads upon the two ends of the rod. The frame A is similarly formed, except that the upper side is slightly shorter than the corresponding side of the other, and that the lateral rods before passing downward are wound as opposite spirals about the upper edge of the opposite frame in such manner that when the tent is folded the spirals are nearly in contact with the inner sides, respectively, of the side bars of the other frame, with the lead of both spirals outward. It follows that when the tent is spread at the bottom the spirals press with constantly-increasing force against those side bars, and therefore that a careless workman will not thoughtlessly place too great strain upon the tent.

Among other advantages of this construction it may be noted that the lower sides of the frames A A serve as a stop, limiting the distance to which the spurs enter the earth, and that the double rod at the ridge or top gives enough rigidity to resist bending if the spurs be forced into the earth by pressure upon the middle of the ridge.

\Vhat I claim is- In a plant-protector, the combination, with a rectangular wire frame provided with spurs upon its lower side, of a similar frame having its upper bar or side alongside the corresponding member of the first frame and its lateral wires wound about said member at opposite ends thereof, respectively, in spirals adapted to press against the side wires of the' ing witnesses.

WILLIAM KENYON HAWKS. lVitnesses:

WALTER BARss, EDWARD E. HAWKS. 

